


the scientific method

by LadyMerlin



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Banter, Enthusiastic Consent, Established Relationship, Explicit Consent, Gray-Asexual Adam Parrish, Humor, Idiots in Love, Kink Exploration, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Shameless Smut, Tender Sex, romantic smut, this is a thinly veiled excuse to write smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:27:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22314805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMerlin/pseuds/LadyMerlin
Summary: Ronan groans and throws an arm over his face. It does nothing to hide the flush travelling down his neck and his chest. “God save me from Adam ‘the scientific method’ Parrish."(or; the one in which Adam and Ronan have sex, for science!)
Relationships: Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 20
Kudos: 256





	the scientific method

**Author's Note:**

> I rarely ever know what I'm talking about. I know even less, when it comes to this fic. I have exhausted the limits of my defiled search history. Sorry, Ma.

Adam doesn’t notice anything different when Ronan presses the condom packet into his hand, mostly because he’s too busy kissing Ronan to notice anything else. Kissing Ronan deserves his full attention and he enthusiastically dedicates himself to re-exploring Ronan’s mouth, as if he’s making sure nothing has changed in the months they’ve been apart. 

He keeps at it, biting gently at Ronan’s lips and sucking on his tongue until Ronan is whining through his nose, fingers digging into Adam’s back. He pulls back with a slick sound that goes straight to his cock. “God,” Adam whispers, “I’ve missed you so much, Ro.” 

Ronan closes his eyes and shivers, like he can feel Adam’s words against his skin. “I’ve missed you too, Adam. This term was too long. I should’ve driven up for a weekend or something.” 

“Or I could’ve driven down,” Adam says, like he hadn’t been on the verge of doing just that almost every other weekend. “We won’t leave it so long again, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Ronan agrees, squirming under Adam’s weight in a way that makes Adam crazy. “Missed this too,” Ronan adds and does it again, making Adam twitch and scramble backwards so he doesn’t lose control. 

“Yeah, god.” Adam doesn’t waste anymore time and sheds his clothes as efficiently as he can, tossing them on the floor carelessly. Ronan is already naked, sprawled across his single, and Adam can barely wait to feel him skin-to-skin. He’s already hard and he knows neither of them are going to last very long, at least not this round. “Want me to top?” 

Ronan licks his lips and nods, so Adam sits back on his haunches, not exactly putting on a show but not hiding either. He knows Ronan likes watching him, and who is he to deny Ronan such simple pleasures? Especially when the night is going to end with Ronan’s legs wrapped around his waist, swearing into the hollow of Adam’s throat while Adam takes him apart from the inside. 

But it only takes opening the foil packet for his plans to change instantly. The shape of the condom is familiar in his hands, but instead of the usual plain sleeve, the latex is textured with ridges running around the circumference, from the tip all the way to the base. He bites his lower lip to keep himself from gasping at the images flooding into his head.

He glances up at Ronan but doesn’t even have to verbalise his question before Ronan shrugs in reply. “It’s all they had left at the corner store,” he explains. “Didn’t think it’d make a difference.” 

Adam snorts. “Trust a college campus to have a chronic shortage of condoms. Change of plans babe. D’you wanna fuck me?” 

Ronan huffs a laugh and palms his own scalp, a clear tell of his nervousness. “I mean, sure. We haven’t done that in a while.” 

Adam considers the words he’s hearing, and then tries to parse their actual meaning. “Do you not like it?”

Ronan rolls his eyes and shakes his head, which is fair. For such opinionated people, Adam doesn’t think either of them have ever come across anything that they don’t like doing, together. And he has no doubt that if either of them wasn’t having fun, they wouldn’t hesitate to make it known.

“Alright, but do you want to?” Because there’s also a difference between enjoying a thing and wanting to do it at any particular time. 

“Yeah, idiot, I do. Just wasn’t expecting the change in plans.” The question is also unspoken. 

Adam shrugs and grins up at his boyfriend. “Gotta keep you on your toes, you know? And also, I kinda want to feel this condom in my ass.” 

Ronan groans and throws an arm over his face. It does nothing to hide the flush travelling down his neck and his chest. “God save me from Adam ‘ _the scientific method’_ Parrish. Is that the only reason?” Though, he knows that’s not what Ronan is really asking; Ronan is really asking if Adam _doesn’t_ like fucking him, which is too ridiculous a notion to even entertain. 

Adam considers laughing, but the genuinely concerned look on Ronan’s face makes Adam want to kiss him until he stops being stupid, so he does, biting at Ronan’s lips to make him stop thinking absurd things. “I fucking _love_ you, idiot. And I love fucking you, Ro, I promise.” He totally ruins the kiss by giggling into Ronan’s mouth until Ronan huffs in in mock exasperation and pushes Adam’s face away. He’s smiling though, so it’s okay. “Do you believe me?” Adam asks, whispering the words like they’re precious, pressing them into corner of Ronan’s mouth, dragging his lips against Ronan’s stubbly jawline.

“Yes, I do, you _dork._ I love you too, Adam. So much. But I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t get a move-on.” Ronan’s gentle hands on his waist directly contradict his words. Adam knows which one he believes, but he moves backwards anyway. 

The condom has gone a little limp from the heat of Adam’s hand, but it’s not too difficult to roll it onto Ronan’s dick, not least because it’s a move they’ve practiced hundreds of times. Adam wraps his hand around Ronan’s dick and strokes it firmly, taking note of the texture and the way Ronan moans above him. 

It’s not exactly a dramatically different experience, because the ridges are pretty slight, but the visual is a really nice one, not least because Ronan’s fists are clenched in the bedsheets on either side of his waist and now the flush has gone all the way down his chest, down to his navel. Adam presses a hand against Ronan’s flat abdomen, to see if it’s actually hot - he’s not disappointed.

Adam keeps stroking him until Ronan’s hips start moving in small circles, and Ronan is biting down on his own lower lip. He’s just about to ask Ronan to pass him the lube when an idea comes to him. Ronan’s eyes are still squeezed shut so Adam keeps stroking him, he doesn’t want to give the game away as he bends down. It’s just as rewarding as he thought it’d be. 

Ronan half-sits up with a strangled shout when Adam takes the tip of his cock into his mouth, pressing down on it with his lips. Ronan’s hands move instantly to the back of Adam’s head, his fingers tangling in Adam’s hair and squeezing just enough to make Adam moan. He doesn’t relent and takes Ronan in even deeper, licks around the circumference of his cock, tonguing at the ridges of the condom. 

Ronan huffs and drops his head back against the mattress, but doesn’t let go of Adam’s hair. He’s not pulling or pushing or anything, it’s more like he just wants that point of contact between them. For his part, Adam quite likes having his hair pulled, and wouldn’t mind if Ronan did it a bit harder. But for now, he focuses on wringing wonderfully garbled noises out of Ronan with his mouth. He does a pretty good job of it, especially when he has the particularly inspired idea of gently scraping his teeth along the bottom of Ronan’s dick. It makes Ronan twitch and swear out loud, his hands fisting even tighter in Adam’s hair. 

He can feel Ronan’s dick pulsing though the condom when he presses it flat against his tongue. It feels really nice, and some part of Adam wants to see how deep he can take Ronan without choking, but that’s an idea for another day. He’s not ready to give up on today’s plans. 

He pulls off with a wet pop, taking care to suck just a bit harder around the head of Ronan’s dick, just to make him squirm. When Adam sits up, he notices that Ronan is panting, his chest shining with a light sheen of sweat, and it’s even better than he could have imagined. “Alright, Ro?” 

Ronan’s mouth is slick and wet and terribly red, and Adam doesn’t have the patience to wait for a spoken response before he’s up and kissing Ronan, resting his entire weight on top of Ronan’s body. Ronan can take it - with him, Adam is never scared that he’s going to get crushed. Ronan’s muscles are as firm and strong under his hands as they ever were, and Adam feels them up lightly while they’re still kissing. 

Ronan would ordinarily tease him, because Adam has never hidden how much he likes Ronan’s body (amongst other things), but he can’t possibly protest when both his hands are cupped around Adam’s non-existent ass, fingers thumbing gently at his hole. Ronan is the first to break the kiss, but it’s not so easy for them to part when they keep sinking back into each other, like there are magnets in their mouths. 

Eventually though, the feeling of Ronan’s dick pressed against his stomach becomes too much to bear. It’s hard and thick and Adam wants Ronan inside him with a sudden desperation even he can’t understand. He sits up, thighs on either side of Ronan’s waist, straddling him so that their dicks are sliding against each other. 

The single bed makes this a feat of acrobaticism Adam wasn’t sure he’d be able to accomplish. Ronan’s hands automatically move up to his thighs, holding him in place, and his legs come up behind Adam’s back so that he can lean on Ronan’s knees. From this vantage point, Adam has a perfect view of Ronan’s face and his entire body. 

Touching him is almost involuntary at this point, even if it is just a hand on the flat of Ronan’s chest, fingers curving up towards his impossible collarbone, reveling in the way his skin feels under Adam’s hand. “You’re so beautiful sometimes I think I’m dreaming,” Adam whispers, knowing he’s being sappy but unable to stop it. 

Ronan’s blush deepens further but he doesn’t look away. Instead he puts a hand on top of Adam’s and then brings it to his lips, pressing kisses against his scarred knuckles and his callouses. “Isn’t dreaming my thing?” He asks, and then, “I really love you, you know?” Which sounds like a non-sequitur but isn’t. 

Adam bends down again, turning his palm so they can lace their fingers together, and captures Ronan’s mouth in a kiss instead of answering. His heart is pounding and he hopes Ronan can feel it, so he knows what he’s doing to Adam, arousal aside. He wonders if he’s shaking too, because it feels like he must be, with the way the world is spinning around Ronan as his only focal point. 

It’s a tender kiss, but it doesn’t take long for them to ramp it up into something dirtier, with enough tongue and teeth that they’re both moaning into it, and Adam’s hips are hitching against Ronan’s, giving away his intention. 

Ronan breaks them apart this time, hands cupped on either side of Adam’s face, pushing him away. Adam doesn’t resist too much, sitting back up and trying to catch his breath with his hands on Ronan’s chest to keep him upright. “You’re very easily distracted,” Ronan comments, as if he’s not entirely distracted himself. 

“Yeah well, you’re very distracting,” Adam replies. Not one of his better comebacks, but true in any case. “Shall we get this show on the road?” 

Ronan swears aloud and pinches his hip, nowhere near hard enough to hurt, just enough to make Ronan’s ire known. “You’re all romance and charm, Parrish.” 

Adam snorts. “If I was any more romantic, you wouldn’t know what to do with me, babe. Where’s the lube?” 

Ronan blinks at him and then twists in place, reaching to the bedside table where Adam keeps his lube. The movement shows off his tattoo, and Adam almost loses himself in it, the intricate lines and details branching and swirling into themselves and each other. It reminds him of Cabeswater and sends a shiver down his spine. He doesn’t touch it even though he wants to, because he knows Ronan has a complicated relationship with what he thinks of as his father’s tattoo. It’s so much more than that, but Adam hasn’t managed to convince Ronan of it yet. 

Ronan makes a triumphant noise and brandishes a tube of drug store lubricant before pressing it into Adam’s hand. And then he takes it back. “No wait, let me do it.” 

Adam grins in spite of himself. He lets go of the tube and bends down, wrapping his hand around their dicks in between their bodies, stroking gently at the head of Ronan’s with a single thumb, making him squirm in his place. The condom is lubricated, but Adam kind of wants to feel Ronan dripping into his hand, making a mess of their sheets and their skin. He squeezes some pre-come from his own cock, led by nothing more than feel and memory, and swirls it around the head of Ronan’s dick. 

Ronan’s hand fumbles on the screw cap of the tube and it slips out of his hands, skittering somewhere under the bed. Both of them break into helpless giggles and Adam waves off Ronan’s apology. “Don’t worry about it. Just touch me,” Adam pleads. 

Ronan complies in magnificent fashion, reaching behind Adam and pushing his index finger against, and then gently breaching him. Adam shivers slightly, not because it hurts but because this is Ronan, inside him. Ronan shushes him and doesn’t stop, working his way into Adam’s heat with one finger first, and then two. It’s not the right angle for this, exactly, but it’s enough, and Ronan is very careful, pushing his fingers deep and curling them sweetly against a spot which makes Adam pant and press his face against Ronan’s shoulder. “Want another one?” he asks, breathing the words into Adam’s ear. 

Adam shakes his head. His dick is already twitching between them, pushed closer to the edge than he’d expected. Then again it’s been a long time since they’ve been together. He’s been thinking about this almost every night. It’s not going to take very long. 

He sits back up and lifts himself up onto his knees. Ronan positions himself so that when Adam sinks back down, it’s into Ronan’s dick, making them both groan out loud. It’s not… as smooth as Adam had been hoping, but that’s probably his fault for not letting Ronan prep him properly. He persists anyway, angling so that his own weight helps him down, because they’ve done this before, and it definitely gets easier. It’s just been too long, maybe. 

Ronan’s dick throbs inside him and Adam shivers at the sensation, but unfortunately it forces him over the last couple of inches and he can’t stop the pained noise that escapes his throat. 

“Oh my god,” Ronan curses, and the next thing he knows, Ronan is lifting him off and slithering out from underneath him. He can’t even bring himself to protest because there isn’t any air left in his lungs, and it actually does hurt. “It’s not supposed to hurt, idiot.” Adam knows this. He’s pretty much entirely soft now, and it’s his own fault. “Lie on your back. Do you still want to do this?” He asks, and Adam nods wordlessly, turning to look at Ronan who’s standing beside the bed. He really does. 

Ronan clicks his tongue and climbs on top of him, covering Adam’s body with his own and kissing him, all heat and intensity and adoration. No one can go from zero to sixty as fast as Ronan can. And he always takes Adam with him. 

Adam lets himself sink into the kiss, tender muscles relaxing back onto his not-very-plush mattress. Ronan’s hands are everywhere, sliding down his sides, his arms, his hips, as if he’s trying to comfort Adam, to make the pain go away. This too, is typical of Ronan, and Adam loves him for it. “I’m okay, Ro.” 

Ronan sits back up between Adam’s parted legs and studied him for a bit, before nodding decisively. “Okay. Let’s try again. Lube?” He holds out a palm expectantly. 

Adam finds a grin bubbling just under his skin and pulls it up. “Yes, Doctor.” 

“Shut up, Adam, I swear,” Ronan says, blushing, which means he doesn’t mean it. He squeezes a large dollop of lube and slides it into Adam again, pushing his fingers even deeper and scissoring them wide. The third finger goes in easily, and Ronan pushes in so much lube that after a few minutes Adam starts to feel like his insides are squishy. 

“I think I’m good, Ro,” he says, breaking Ronan’s single-minded focus on Adam’s ass. 

Ronan scowls. “I decide when you’re good,” he replies haughtily. 

Two years ago this would have set off every single alarm bell inside Adam’s head, and he’d have been down the street before anyone could even blink, at the thought that someone else was trying to control him. But this Adam has seen fear on Ronan’s face, and concern in his dark eyes. This Adam knows that Ronan would never forgive himself if he hurt Adam, even on accident. 

This Adam loves Ronan more than he ever thought he could love another human being. “Yes, sir,” he teases, and Ronan punishes (rewards?) him by pressing against his prostate and making Adam yelp and buck his hips. 

“God, you’re so tight you could break my fingers,” Ronan says, a little nonsensically. 

Adam huffs. “It’s not like I’ve done this since the last time we did it. I’m rarely in the mood to do anything unless you’re around.” It’s not a secret, but Adam doesn’t think Ronan knows the full extent of it. Ronan studies him carefully, drawing his fingers out of Adam and wiping his hand on Adam’s hip in a way he knows makes Adam crazy. 

“Not even jerking off?” he asks, quietly, pushing Adam’s legs apart further and settling in between them, like he’s preparing to have a serious conversation while also fucking him. 

Adam closes his eyes and he knows he’s blushing because he can feel his face heating up. He has done everything with this man, and they’re literally on the cusp of having sex, but it’s still a little embarassing to admit this. He shrugs. “Sometimes, I don’t know. It doesn’t occur to me, you know? I go to class and I eat and I shower and I sleep but I never feel like I want to - to do that. Maybe when I’m talking to you on the phone and you’re doing it, I sometimes do too, but it doesn’t - I don’t _need_ it.” 

Ronan considers this carefully, a tiny furrow in his brow. “But you like this?” 

Adam shivers as Ronan trails his fingertips from his taint up to his cock, leaving a trail of slick on Adam’s skin. “God, Ro, I fucking _love_ this. I promise, you don’t have to ever worry that I’m doing something I don’t want to. Not with you.” 

Ronan sighs and nods. Then he wraps his hand around Adam’s dick and pumps it, making Adam shout and thrust into the air. “Ready?” he asks, keeping Adam’s hips up and dragging him down the bed, closer to his own body in a display of strength that scrambles Adam’s brain. He nods, wordlessly. 

Ronan angles his own cock and nudges it against Adam’s opening, and Adam twitches. Ronan takes the moment of convulsion to start pressing into Adam, and this time it’s _much_ easier. Ronan sinks into him like it’s something he was meant to do, and Adam can feel himself clinging to Ronan and squeezing around him helplessly. He wants to look, but the angle means he’s holding his own weight on his shoulders and it’s not possible, so he just drops his head backwards and groans. “Alright?” Ronan asks, and grabs Adam’s dick again. 

Adam must make some affirmative sound, though he can’t be sure, because Ronan starts moving then, slowly at first and then faster. Adam wraps his hand around Ronan’s and it feels really nice, even though neither of them have the attention span to actually move, kind of like trying to pat your head while also rubbing your belly. 

Ronan’s strength is - it’s something entirely different from this perspective, and Adam doesn’t know if he wants Ronan to slow down and drive deeper into him or to go faster and shove him over the edge of his orgasm with pure friction. He knows that’s not how it works but there’s something about the way he can feel Ronan’s body moving in him that’s making his thoughts nonsensical. Twitterpated, maybe, is the word. 

Ronan grazes against his prostate and Adam exhales _hard_ , breath whistling through his teeth as his fingers scramble for purchase. Ronan shifts his hips, recalibrates, and then does it again, making Adam yelp. After that he’s relentless, because clearly he’s decided how this is going to go and is methodically driving Adam out of his own mind. 

His orgasm surprises even him because it hits like a flashbang, one moment it’s rolling somewhere behind his navel and the next it’s exploding so hard that Adam thinks he can’t breathe for a second, like his lungs are in shock and his organs have all paused to take stock of whether they’re all still there, in one piece. It travels up his spine and down to his toes and everything quakes in unison, and he reaches - reaches for something - and finds Ronan. 

Of course, he finds Ronan. Ronan, who is always there, even when Adam is falling apart. He leans down and slides his arms under Adam’s back and presses their bodies so close that he can feel Ronan’s heart against his own chest while he’s gasping for air. Ronan holds him tight, keeping all the pieces of him close so that it’s easier for Adam to pull himself together, letting him break in safety. 

He doesn’t know how long it takes for him to come down, but Ronan waits for him patiently, stroking his back and kissing his face all over. He comes back to alertness with Ronan’s lips on his forehead, his arms around his back, and his dick deep inside Adam, hard as nails. Nothing gives this away, except for the light tremor in his thighs. 

Adam wordlessly wraps his legs around Ronan’s hips, locking his ankles behind Ronan as much as he can. He grips the back of Ronan’s neck and smiles at him, shakily. “Go for it, love.” Ronan is shaking his head before Adam can even finish his sentence, so he doesn’t give Ronan a chance to speak. “Really, Ro. Finish inside me. I want you to. Please?” He’s not playing fair, but he knows Ronan can’t resist when he asks nicely. “I’m sure,” he says, preempting the next question. 

Ronan shakes his head but doesn’t protest further. Instead of getting back up, he stays low, bracing his forearms on either side of Adam’s head. Adam curves his back a little more, lifting his hips so that this position works for Ronan. His hands rest softly on Ronan’s hips. Adam thinks he’s ready for it, but the first thrust is enough to tell him for sure that he’s not. He makes a garbled noise and grabs at Ronan’s body, nails digging in harder than they probably should, but Ronan doesn’t object. 

Ronan does it again, keeping a slow pace, driving deeper into Adam’s body each time. The cheap bed creaks under them, and it’s like every single thrust is knocking all the air out of his lungs, but he doesn’t want it to stop. It doesn’t take long for Ronan to start losing his rhythm, stuttering, sometimes thrusting too hard and sometimes not enough. Adam loves it when Ronan gets like this, because he always treats sex like something he’s being _allowed_ to do, even when the reality couldn’t be more different. Adam wants Ronan as much as Ronan wants Adam, and it’s a treat to watch him wring his own pleasure out. 

All Adam has to do is squeeze around Ronan, and he comes hard, burying himself in Adam and then collapsing on top of him, deadweight. Adam lets his legs fall back down to the bed and pulls Ronan into a full-body embrace, a hand on the back of Ronan’s head to keep his face pressed into the crook of Adam’s neck. They’re both sticky with sweat and other miscellaneous fluids but no price in the world would have moved Adam then. 

Ronan is breathing like he’s just run a race, and Adam strokes long lines down his back, whispering nonsense into his ear, interspersed with kisses on whatever Adam skin can get his mouth on. 

They lie there for long moments, coming down from the high together, slowly, hearts hammering furiously. “Fuck,” Ronan swears lowly, when he finally gets his breath back. “Holy fuck.” His lips are parted and Adam can’t help but feel proud that he’s responsible for at least some of these profanities. 

He doesn’t respond though, and just keeps stroking the back of Ronan’s head, his neck, his shoulders, using the movement to press their bodies together. There’s no need for words, at a time like this. After an interminable period, Ronan speaks first. 

“So? What were the results of your experiment, Parrish?” These days, Ronan only calls him Parrish when he’s joking. “How was the condom?” 

Ronan pushes himself up and Adam bites back a whine at the loss of Ronan’s weight on top of him, of Ronan’s heat pressed from tip to toe. He doesn’t go far though, collapsing back onto the bed beside Adam, their shoulders pressed together and fingers lacing automatically. Adam thinks when he dies, this is how he’d like to go, smothered under Ronan’s body, surrounded by his love, but he doesn’t say it. It’s a bit morbid for post-coital talk. 

Instead he hums, turning onto his side so that he can look at Ronan, and also so that he’s less at risk of falling off the bed. Ronan wordlessly slides his arm around Adam’s waist and drags their hips closer, an unspoken promise to catch him if he falls. He thinks he’d forgotten about the condom halfway through, but he’ll be damned before he admits it. “Results inconclusive. Going to have to try it out a few more times. And of course, we need a control experiment without a condom, if you’re okay with that.” Adam doesn’t know if he’s pushing his luck, but he does know that they’re exclusive and that Ronan never judges him for asking honest questions like this, and he never lies to Adam when he responds. He’s got nothing to lose. 

Ronan’s fingers squeeze around his waist reflexively and he turns to face Adam too, so that their faces are scant inches apart. His arm tightens around Adam’s waist, and his free hand comes up to pull Adam’s face into the crook of his neck, a darling reversal of their position just minutes before. Adam kisses the hollow of Ronan’s throat where his pulse is fluttering like the wings of a bird trying to escape its cage, because it’s there, because he wants to, and because Ronan deserves all the tenderness Adam can muster. 

“Only if you promise to be in charge of the clean-up,” Ronan whispers into his hair, which Adam knows is as good as enthusiastic approval from him. 

“Deal,” Adam says, though he’s probably talking about more than just the promise of sex in the future, or his promise to take care of Ronan. “I’m glad you’re here, Ro.” 

“Love you too, idiot.” As always, he understands what Adam is trying to say without Adam having to verbalise it. Ronan lies back down and pulls Adam with him, ensuring that they’ll definitely be glued together in the morning. “Now go to sleep before I smother you with a pillow.” 

Adam pauses for a moment before grinning. “Kinky,” he comments, knowing that Ronan can hear the smile in his voice even though he can’t see it. “Love you, Ro. G’night.”   
  
And as he lies there, he feels Ronan’s pressing soft kisses against his skin, like a hundred tiny blessings, his fingers stroking patterns lightly against his side. Adam falls asleep with a smile on his face. 

**Author's Note:**

> I lost a big hearing yesterday. Got the shit metaphorically kicked out of me. I low-key wish I didn’t exist anymore. Please send love.


End file.
